Vehicle battery maintenance device

ABSTRACT

An electronic battery tester or battery charger for testing or charging a storage battery including electrical connectors configured to electrically couple to a terminals of the storage battery. Circuitry couples to the electrical connectors and is configured to test or charge the storage battery. An input signal is received related to a battery which is suitable for use with the vehicle.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is based on and claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/772,882, filed Nov. 29, 2018, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to battery maintenance devices of the type used to maintain or monitor a battery of an automotive vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to battery rating requirements associated with a particular vehicle.

Various types of battery testers and charging equipment are known in the art. Examples of various battery testers, chargers and monitors are forth in: U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,911, issued Mar. 25, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,708, issued Sep. 30, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,768, issued Mar. 28, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,170, issued Apr. 25, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,038, issued Nov. 14, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,416, issued Mar. 27, 1990, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,269, issued Aug. 18, 1992, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,380, issued Aug. 30, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,136, issued Nov. 5, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,355, issued Nov. 12, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,416, issued Dec. 10, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,728, issued Dec. 17, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,757, issued Dec. 31, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,093, issued Jan. 7, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,098, issued Jan. 28, 1997; U.S. Pat. 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No. 11/356,443, filed Feb. 16, 2006, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER WITH NETWORK COMMUNICATION; U.S. Ser. No. 12/697,485, filed Feb. 1, 2010, entitled ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 14/769,911, filed Apr. 29, 2010, entitled STATIONARY BATTERY TESTER; U.S. Ser. No. 13/098,661, filed May 2, 2011, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A PARAMETER OF A VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 13/152,711, filed Jun. 3, 2011, entitled BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 14/039,746, filed Sep. 27, 2013, entitled BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 14/565,689, filed Dec. 10, 2014, entitled BATTERY TESTER AND BATTERY REGISTRATION TOOL; U.S. Ser. No. 14/799,120, filed Jul. 14, 2015, entitled AUTOMOTIVE MAINTENANCE SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 15/017,887, filed Feb. 8, 2016, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING A PARAMETER OF A VEHICLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 15/049,483, filed Feb. 22, 2016, entitled BATTERY TESTER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 15/077,975, filed Mar. 23, 2016, entitled BATTERY MAINTENANCE SYSTEM; U.S. Ser. No. 15/140,820, filed Apr. 28, 2016, entitled CALIBRATION AND PROGRAMMING OF IN-VEHICLE BATTERY SENSOR; U.S. Ser. No. 15/149,579, filed May 9, 2016, entitled BATTERY TESTER FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 15/634,491, filed Jun. 27, 2017, entitled BATTERY CLAMP; U.S. Ser. No. 15/791,772, field Oct. 24, 2017, entitled ELECTRICAL LOAD FOR ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER AND ELECTRONIC BATTERY TESTER INCLUDING SUCH ELECTRICAL LOAD; U.S. Ser. No. 16/021,538, filed Jun. 28, 2018, entitled BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLE; U.S. Ser. No. 16/056,991, filed Aug. 7, 2018, entitled HYBRID AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE DEVICE, U.S. Ser. No. 16/253,526, filed Jan. 22, 2019, entitled HIGH CAPACITY BATTERY BALANCER; U.S. Ser. No. 16/253,549, filed Jan. 22, 2019, entitled HYBRID AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 16/297,975, filed Mar. 11, 2019, entitled HIGH USE BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE; all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

SUMMARY

An electronic battery tester or battery charger for testing or charging a storage battery including electrical connectors configured to electrically couple to a terminals of the storage battery. Circuitry couples to the electrical connectors and is configured to test or charge the storage battery. An input signal is received related to a battery which is suitable for use with the vehicle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram showing battery test or charge circuitry coupled to an on-board databus of the vehicle.

FIG. 2A is a simplified block diagram showing circuitry of FIG. 1 configured as a battery tester.

FIG. 2B is a simplified block diagram showing circuitry of FIG. 1 configured as a battery charger.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a coupling between circuitry of FIG. 1 and the on-board databus of the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a simplified block diagram showing example steps in accordance with one configuration of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides a battery tester or charger 10 (generally referred to herein as a battery maintenance device) such as that illustrated in FIG. 1 which includes an input 12 for coupling to suitable battery information 14. Element 10 can comprise a battery test circuitry, battery charge circuitry, or a combination of both. Element 14 can include a databus, user input, automatic input, databus, etc. In one configuration, element 14 is the internal circuitry of a vehicle 15 coupled to an OBD (On-Board Diagnostics) databus or the like. Circuitry 10 is configured to couple to storage battery 16 through electrical connectors 18 to perform a battery test on battery 16 or to charge battery 16. Connectors 18 can be, for example, Kelvin type connectors. When configured as a tester, circuitry 10 can obtain a dynamic parameter of the battery using an AC forcing function. Examples include dynamic conductance, resistance, admittance, impedance, their combinations, or others. However, any type of battery test can be performed including battery testing can be used including those which involve application of large or small loads, or application of large currents or voltages such as through a charger, simple voltage measurements, etc. In one embodiment, the battery tester 10 is permanently mounted in automotive vehicle 15. Vehicle 15 can include an internal combustion engine, electric motor, or a hybrid.

In another configuration, circuitry 10 comprises a battery charger and is configured to charge battery 16 through electrical connections 18. Further, in some configurations, circuitry 10 includes both testing and charging functionality. These functions can operate independently or, in some configurations, can be configured to operate together.

Databus 12 can be used to exchange information with information 14. Such information includes, for example, raw data measurements and conclusions of battery tester 10, and inputs, such as user inputs, or any information related to vehicle 15 or other information available on bus 12, along with other sensor inputs into battery tester 10. Further, 14 can control or communicate battery tester 10 through databus 12 and provide information such as a battery rating to 10 for use in performing a battery test or charging battery 16. Databus 12 can be a proprietary databus or can be in accordance with known standards such as RS232, CAN, ISA, PCI, PCMCIA, WiFi, Bluetooth, Ethernet, etc. In a specific embodiment, databus 12 is in accordance with an OBD communication protocol.

The circuitry 10 acquires information through databus 12 or monitors the flow of information on a databus of the vehicle. The circuit 10 can obtain information related to battery type, battery rating, charge history, etc. Additionally, if the vehicle contains an internal battery tester, information regarding battery tests or battery measurements can be obtained or monitored through bus 12. In such an embodiment, test circuit 10 does not need to perform a battery test itself, or couple to the battery.

FIG. 1 also shows vehicle information 19. Vehicle information 19 can comprise, for example, a bar code scanner used to scan the VIN code of a vehicle, a manual user input allowing an operator to input a VIN code or other information. Such other information may include, for example, vehicle year, make and model. This information can be used to retrieve suitable battery information 14 which can comprise, for example, battery specifications provided by the vehicle manufacturer or other battery recommendations for the particular identified vehicle. The suitable battery information 14 can be a database located internally to the battery tester, or can be information retrieved from an external location such as an external server, through cloud data services, etc.

The battery tester is also configured to receive and install battery information 21. This can be, for example, through a bar code scanner 21 allowing an operator to scan a UPC bar code carried on the installed battery. Other scannable codes include a 2D or a QR code. Additionally, information 21 can comprise a manual battery rating input provided by an operator or other battery information such as battery make, size and rating.

Device 10 can also include an output 23 which provides information as discussed herein. The output can become for example, an on screen warning, on screening battery test results, printed battery test results, transmitted test results such as emailed test results or data otherwise sent to an external location including, for example, an external server/cloud data service. Elements 19 and 23 can comprise a single bar code scanner or manual input.

FIGS. 2A and 2B is a more detailed block diagram of device 10. In FIG. 2A, circuitry 10 is configured to operate as a battery tester and includes a forcing function 40 and an amplifier 42 coupled to connectors 18. Connectors 18 are shown as Kelvin connections. The forcing function 40 can be any type of signal which has a time varying component including a transient signal. The forcing function can be through application of a load or by applying an active signal to battery 16. A response signal is sensed by amplifier 42 and provided to analog to digital converter 44 which couples to microprocessor 46. Microprocessor 46 operates in accordance with instructions stored in memory 48. Input/output (I/O) 52 is provided for coupling to the databus 12. I/O 102 can be in accordance with the desired standard or protocol as described herein. Another input/output block 50 can be used, for example, for communicating with an operator and can comprise a display and an input such as a keypad or the like as well as an imaging device such as a camera or bar code scanner.

In the illustrated embodiment, microprocessor 46 is configured to measure a dynamic parameter based upon the forcing function 40. This dynamic parameter can be correlated with battery condition as set forth in the above-mentioned Champlin and Midtronics, Inc. patents. However, other types of battery tests circuitry can be used in the present invention and certain aspects of the invention should not be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated herein. Although a microprocessor 46 is shown, other types of computational or other circuitry can be used to collect and place data into memory 48.

FIG. 2B is another simplified block diagram showing circuitry 10 configured as a battery charger. In such a configuration, the microprocessor 46 couples to a digital to analog converter 60 which is used to control a power source 62. Power source 62 couples to battery 16 through connections 18. Although a digital to analog converter 60 is illustrated as controlling a power source 62, other types of control can be used, for example, a simple switch, or other control mechanisms. The power source 62 can operate in accordance with any charging technique and may include an internal power supply for charging the battery, or can be configured to couple to an external power source. One common external power source is simply the standard 120 volt, or 240 volt outlet power available in most settings. The power supply can also be used to power other aspects of circuitry 10. In one configuration the charger is separate from vehicle 15 and is not powered by an engine in the vehicle.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram showing an example configuration of battery tester/charger 10 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. In the embodiment of FIG. 3, circuitry 10 is shown coupled to storage battery 16 through connections 18. As discussed above, this may comprise, for example, Kelvin connections. Circuitry 10 includes tester or charge circuitry 100. The circuitry 100 can be in accordance with any battery tester measurement or charging technique including those discussed above. The circuitry 100 may, in some configurations, include a microprocessor or other digital controller.

Circuitry 100 is configured to couple to battery 16 through electrical connectors 18. The circuitry 100 receives information from communication circuitry 52. Communication circuitry 52 communicates with vehicle circuitry 65 through a connector 54 and vehicle interface 64. The communication circuitry 52 is configured to operate in accordance with communication standards. Communication circuitry 52 communicates in accordance with a communication standard over databus 12 through connector 54. In various embodiments, circuitry within device 10 is powered by power received from battery 16, from an internal power source within device 10, and/or from power received from an external source.

During operation as a battery tester, circuitry 10 performs a battery test on the storage battery 16. In accordance with the present invention, the battery tester receives information from a databus or other input. The data can be used as part of the battery test such that the battery test output is a function of the data, or can be used in addition to the battery test itself. In one aspect, any type of data which is available over the on-board databus of a vehicle. Specific examples include obtaining information regarding the age of the vehicle, battery specifications, number of times that the engine of the vehicle has been started, number of times that the battery has been disconnected, the size of the alternator, and the electrical options on a vehicle. This information can also be used by the circuitry 10.

With the present invention, any information which is available from the onboard databus can be used in conjunction with testing and/or charging. For example, information regarding the vehicle such as a vehicle identification number (VIN), battery type, battery voltage during start, vehicle age, engine size, and other information. The connection to the OBD can be used to control idle speed of the engine, turn on loads of the vehicle and to further automate aspects of the testing. Engine speed can also be read from the OBD connection. In some configurations, the circuitry is configured to test other aspects of the vehicle such as the alternator. The onboard OBD connection to the vehicle can be used to control aspects of the vehicle for alternator testing. Trouble codes within the vehicle system can be set using the OBD connection. For example, if a high rate of charging is detected, a trouble code can be set accordingly. In some vehicles, the connection to the OBD of the vehicle can be used to reset trouble codes. For example, the occurrence of a successful charge of the battery can be used to reset a trouble code. In some vehicles, various temperatures can be obtained from the onboard databus. This temperature information can also be used in conjunction with testing or charging. Engine hours, key off statistics, alternator current output and other information can be made available.

In some types of hybrid vehicles that contain multiple batteries, the on-board databus can be used to access intermediary voltages within a string of batteries. This information can be used by the present invention to, for example, detect imbalances in the voltages which may occur during charging. Such an imbalance can be indicative of a failing battery within the string.

The present invention provides a battery test, electrical system test and/or battery charger for use with vehicles, including hybrid vehicles. The circuitry of the present invention couples to the on-board databus of a vehicle and uses information from the databus, or controls aspects of the vehicle through the databus, in conjunction with the testing or charging. In some aspects, the test or charge is a function of information retrieved from the on-board databus. In other aspects, the test or charge controls operation of components of the vehicle using the connection of the vehicle through the on-board databus.

Although the various connections between components shown here are illustrated as being wire connections, the invention is also applicable with wireless connections such as using radiofrequency (RF), infrared (IR), inductive coupling or through other wireless techniques. By providing the circuitry with access to the on board database of the vehicle, additional information can be garnered regarding operation of the vehicle and, in some configurations, operation of the vehicle can be controlled or otherwise configured.

With this present invention, a battery specification is obtained from the input. The battery specification can be, for example, in accordance with the original manufacturing specification for a particular vehicle. This information is then used to determine if the battery in the vehicle is properly sized for the vehicle. The information can be received through a manual input, or can be received through other techniques including automatic inputs for example by receiving information from the databus of the vehicle, by communicating with a remove database, by reading a YIN code of a vehicle, by reading a barcode or an RFID tag, etc.

Specific examples include an automotive battery tester includes an automotive vehicle OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) battery rating database; vehicle identification input methods, battery under test rating input methods, and calculations to determine whether the tested battery rating is within an appropriate range to be suitable for use in the vehicle. An automotive battery tester including an OEM battery rating database, whether locally on the tool, or through a cloud connection. An automotive battery tester including an OEM vehicle identification input through barcode scanning of the VIN, manual YIN entry, or using a lookup table of year, make, model, and options. An automotive battery tester including a UPC (Universal Product Code) based battery identification database. An automotive battery tester including battery under test identification, through manual entry of battery rating, or using a barcode scanner to identify the vehicle through the battery UPC database. An automotive battery tester including calculations based on the installed battery under test versus the OEM battery rating for the vehicle. An automotive battery tester including methods to provide the tester user with a determination of suitability of the battery under test to be used with the vehicle it is installed in. An automotive battery tester which is able to provide messaging to the user to replace the battery based on being undersized for the vehicle per the vehicle OEM battery rating. An automotive battery tester including methods to communicate suitability through on-screen results, wireless or wired printing, email, and M2M (Machine to Machine) communication. An automotive battery tester including the ability to determine and correctly identify replacement battery for undersized battery being tested.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram 200 showing exemplary steps in accordance with one configuration of the present invention. In block diagram 200, the procedure is initiated at start block 202. At block 204 vehicle information is retrieved. This information can be retrieved through manual entry, by reading information from a databus of the vehicle, using an optical scanner such as a bar code scanner or camera to scan a YIN of the vehicle. At block 206 the vehicle information is used to look up a recommended battery rating for the particular vehicle. This can be, for example, using a vehicle database 14 having which carries information related to suitable batteries for specific vehicles. After retrieving this information, at block 208 the specified battery rating information can be provided to a user and a display of the battery maintenance device. An optional stop 210 includes scanning or otherwise entering battery information. This can be by scanning a bar code or other information carried on a battery using an optical scanner or camera or can be through a manual entry. At block 212, the entered battery rating is compared to the recommended rating. This comparison can be by an operator or can be performed internally to the battery maintenance device and the result displayed or otherwise provided to the operator.

At block 214, the entered battery rating is equal to (or better than) the specified battery rating, control is passed to block 216 and a battery test is performed and the results provided to the operator. The procedure stops at end block 218. However, if the entered battery rating is less than the specified battery rating, control is passed to comparison block 220. At block 220 if the entered battery rating information is within a desired percentage of the specified battery rating, control is passed to block 216 and a battery test is performed. Alternatively, at block 222 a message is provided to an operator that the entered battery does not meet the specified requirements and a different battery can be chosen.

One specific example is as follows:

1. In the case where the rating of the battery installed in the vehicle does not match the rating of the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specification (independent of the measurement & test result).

2. Obtain the battery specification rating via VIN input method.

3. Compare this rating with a rating which the user separately inputs.

4. Example:

-   -   a. User obtains the VIN from the vehicle, and inputs the VIN         into the battery tester     -   b. Battery tester database looks up the original equipment         rating of the battery per the VIN input     -   c. Tester UI displays this rating to the user     -   d. User observes the label of the battery installed in the         vehicle is different     -   e. User inputs the different, labeled rating, which is different         than the OE rating (or scans the UPC to obtain the rating         information)     -   f. OE rating, for example, is 500 CCA     -   g. Battery label rating is 400 CCA

5. In this case, no test has yet been performed, so the battery test or result is not relevant.

6. The user input results in a delta between what the original equipment specification is and the installed battery specification.

7. We are simply comparing the OE spec to the installed battery spec, and will inform the user when it is a greater delta than the predetermined threshold (say, 20%).

8. User will be informed that the battery is undersized for the vehicle (not necessarily underperforming, or a battery which needs to be replaced because of battery health).

9. The battery test result may be a good battery, meeting the labeled specification 100%, however the user would want to inform the customer that their battery should be changed to the appropriate specification.

Various aspects of the invention can be implemented using battery maintenance techniques as shown and described in: U.S. Pat. No. 3,873,911, issued Mar. 25, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,708, issued Sep. 30, 1975, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,768, issued Mar. 28, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,170, issued Apr. 25, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,038, issued Nov. 14, 1989, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,416, issued Mar. 27, 1990, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,269, issued Aug. 18, 1992, to Champlin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,343,380, issued Aug. 30, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,136, issued Nov. 5, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,355, issued Nov. 12, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,583,416, issued Dec. 10, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,728, issued Dec. 17, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,757, issued Dec. 31, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,093, issued Jan. 7, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,598,098, issued Jan. 28, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 5,656,920, issued Aug. 12, 1997; U.S. Pat. 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No. 16/253,549, filed Jan. 22, 2019, entitled HYBRID AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE DEVICE; U.S. Ser. No. 16/297,975, filed Mar. 11, 2019, entitled HIGH USE BATTERY PACK MAINTENANCE; all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, any type of battery test or battery charge circuitry can be used by battery tester 10. Further, the databus 12 can be in accordance with any databus technique and should not be limited to the examples set forth herein. In various embodiments, vehicle 15 comprises a vehicle having only internal combustion engine, an electric vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle using both electric and combustion power. Typically, the circuitry 10 is separate from the vehicle 15. For example, the circuitry 10 can be embodied in a portable battery tester or charger. As used herein “battery maintenance device” refers generally to element 10 or variations thereof, and comprises a battery tester, a battery charger, or a device which is both a battery tester and a battery charger. Thus, circuitry 10 provides a battery maintenance device and includes generally battery maintenance circuitry such as circuitry 100 shown in FIG. 3. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An automotive battery tester comprising: an automotive vehicle battery rating database; a vehicle identification input; a battery under test rating input; and test circuitry which compares the tested battery rating with a range of ratings suitable for use in the automotive vehicle.
 2. An automotive battery tester comprising: an automotive vehicle battery rating database; a vehicle identification input; a battery under test rating input; and software which compares the tested battery rating with a range of ratings suitable for use in the automotive vehicle. 